Stylidiaceae

Subfamily Stylidioideae

• Stylidium adnatum var. adnatum
• Stylidium caespitosum
• Stylidium debile
• Stylidium graminifolium

• Query IPNI
• Common Name: grass triggerplant
• Family: Stylidiaceae R.Br.

• Country of Origin: Australia: Tasmania
• Habitat: dry sclerophyll forests with nutrient-poor soil conditions

• Description: This species is an erect perennial herb with 5-40 cm long narrow, grass-like leaves that appear from a basal rosette. A 15-90 cm long scape bearing the racemous inflorescence appears in the spring and summer (October through February). The flowers are butterfly shaped and pale or bright pink with petals paired laterally. The calyx and corolla are both covered in glandular trichomes. The pollination mechanism involving a sensitive "trigger"--a floral column, in which the stamen and style are fused--is unique to the family Stylidiaceae. In S. graminifolium, the column is red and stamens are a greenish color.  

  Considered to be a carnivorous or protocarnivorous plant because it possesses glandular trichomes underneath the flowers that can trap and digest prey.